It is desirable to protect a vehicle occupant from an impacting barrier during a side impact event. Reducing the peak accelerations encountered by the occupant improves occupant performance. Because acceleration is inversely proportional to time, increasing the time during which the occupant is interacting with contacting elements may improve occupant performance. For instance, advancing the engagement of door trim (typically the most inboard component on a vehicle door) with the occupant ahead (i.e., inboard) of an impacting barrier (such as another vehicle) increases the time during which the occupant interacts with the impacted door. Additionally, a vehicle door may be equipped with energy-absorbing counter measures such as an impact beam and padding added to the trim panel.